Many experienced campers will easily tell you why it’s more advantageous to carry as less load as possible when going backpacking. The obvious reason is that it allows you to move freely, it does not wear you out that easily and it can make you enjoy backpacking more.
Carrying a heavy load usually poses more disadvantages than light backpacking. It’s more tiring to carry a heavy pack and it’s hard to enjoy the sights and the camping activities when you’re already exhausted. Heavy weight inevitably slows down a camper. This means that you don’t get to travel to as many places as you would want. It also means less time for fun camping activities. You’d end up resting your aching up rather than going for a swim in the lake or go bird watching with your camping buddies.
You are also more likely to experience more injuries if you don’t go light backpacking. Sore back and leg muscles, sprained ankles, blistered heels and toes, knee and back aches are just some of the common ailments that a heavy load may cause you.
Lightweight backpacking on the other hand certainly allows for maximum mobility for it enables you to travel more miles when you go hiking. This means that you get to enjoy more sights, you’re able to do more activities and you’re not imprisoned with an aching back after the trip. In short,
is synonymous to the word freedom.
Not only that light backpacking also gives you more comfort and more safety. Safety is a very important aspect of camping gear. Since we all know that in a camping trip, almost anything can happen, it is always a good thing to stay on the safe side. Lightweight backpacking gives you a safe edge by allowing you to respond much faster to urgent situations. For example, with a light camping tent on your back, you’ll be able to run much faster to avoid a falling heavy branch than when you’re equipped with a heavy load. Also, having a light load makes it less likely for you to lose your balance or injure yourself.
When it comes to comfort, those who carry lightweight packs such as a coleman exponent phad x2 tentare definitely more comfortable that those who carry 30 pounds of solid weight on their shoulders. Eliminating some pounds off your back even gives you more room for other things that matter more.
Needless to say, lightweight backpacking is more advantageous than bearing an overloaded pack. It combines all the consequences of safety, comfort and freedom which are the key elements for a memorable and enjoyable camping trip. Just remember that lightweight backpacking entails thorough learning of how to pack wisely without forgetting any important camping gear. There are many light packing tips that you can follow to ensure that you pack wisely. Some examples of these tips are to pack only the most essential camping gear and equipment and to choose lighter and miniature versions of things that you bring.
Any camper would assure you, once you’ve tried lightweight backpacking, you will wonder why you ever had to pack so many things before when this is really the one and only way to enjoy a backpacking trip.